Yellowstone County commissioners voted Wednesday to appoint Capt. Kent O'Donnell as interim sheriff.
O'Donnell will take over when Sheriff Mike Linder retires on July 31. O'Donnell is set to begin serving as interim sheriff on Aug. 1.
Watch interim sheriff story here:
Linder is stepping down after more than 40 years in law enforcement and 16 years as sheriff. He announced last November he would not seek re-election.
"I'm beyond humbled that the commission has confidence in me to carry on Sheriff Linder's traditions and vision of the sheriff's office," O'Donnell said.
O'Donnell, a Republican, will hold the position until the November election, when he faces Democrat Adam Chenoweth.
According to Linder, Undersheriff Robert Lester, who is second in command at the agency, did not want to become interim sheriff.
MTN News reached out to Lester but had not yet heard back.
Linder said he stayed out of the appointment process.
"I didn't make a recommendation one way or the other," Linder said. "I didn't want to influence the commissioners' decision."
Chenoweth questioned why the all-Republican commission appointed a Republican candidate three months before the election.
"I wonder why they're appointing somebody that's not the undersheriff to run in a position if the sheriff's retiring three months before the election," Chenoweth said.
"I can't take politics out of it," said Commissioner Mark Morse, a Republican. "I know Capt. O'Donnell personally. As I said before, he's eloquent. He is a great guy."
Morse said O'Donnell's win in the Republican primary was part of the reason for the appointment.
"I think that says something for a person's character if they're willing to raise their hand and be an elected official for the county," Morse said.
Morse also pointed to O'Donnell's 29 years at the sheriff's office as a factor.
Chenoweth also has a law enforcement background.
He said he worked for the jail and on patrol for the sheriff's office for three years, served in the U.S. Army, worked at the Alpha House, and now assists defense attorney teams.
"I review cases, just seeing if everything was done in the legal right," Chenoweth said. "Then after that, my big responsibility is actually helping connect people to treatment. And that's kind of where my specialty is."
Voters will decide between O'Donnell and Chenoweth in November.
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